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Chapter 758: The Reward
Chapter 758: The Reward
At ten o'clock in the evening, Hogwarts Castle fell into a quiet stillness. Due to the curfew, the corridors were deserted, except for the faint whispers emanating from the portraits hanging on either side of the walls.
Suddenly, a light flickered in the distance as a door opened, spilling a stream of illumination into the hallway.
Footsteps echoed, accompanied by the soft scrape of shoes against the stone floor.
Harry Potter paused and glanced back at the gargoyle, which had returned to its original position, letting out a soft sigh.
He had intended to use Slughorn's memory to avoid being confined to his dorm as a punishment, a tactic he believed would be foolproof. However, to his surprise, it had failed.
"I am pleased that you obtained this memory, Harry," Dumbledore had said. "If you wish, I can offer you an additional reward, but I cannot exempt you from your punishment. These are separate matters and cannot simply be offset."
And so, it meant that every Saturday, he would still have to report to Professor McGonagall's office for detention, missing the crucial last Quidditch match.
His only consolation was that Kyle, too, seemed to have other matters to attend to and would not be participating in the match either.
With only one game left, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were in the lead, a mere 10 points apart. Whichever team performed better in the final match would likely claim the championship.
Now, both teams were missing a key player, leveling the playing field.
"I hope Kyle doesn't show up for the match, too," Harry sighed as he turned toward the common room.
Due to the late hour, the common room was mostly empty, but Hermione and Ron were still there, seemingly waiting for Harry.
"Where have you been? It's getting late," Hermione asked.
"Is everything alright, Harry? Did Professor Dumbledore expel you?" Ron asked, his eyes wide.
"No," Harry shook his head. "But he took a hundred points from Gryffindor, and I still have to serve detention on Saturday in Professor McGonagall's office."
"It's alright as long as you weren't expelled," Ron shrugged. "It's just a detention and some house points. We're already in last place, so losing a hundred more points doesn't make much difference."
"It's not about the points," Harry said. "The problem is that I have to report to Professor McGonagall's office every Saturday."
"So what? You… Wait a minute." Ron's eyes widened as he realized something. "Are you saying you have to serve detention every Saturday?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed.
"What about the last Quidditch match?" Ron asked urgently.
"I can't do anything about it," Harry spread his hands helplessly.
"How could the Headmaster do this…?" Ron exclaimed, "That match could determine whether or not we win the Quidditch Cup! Can't you go back and talk to him again? Maybe he'll change his mind and let you play."
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Hermione pushed him aside. "Do you think the Headmaster's decision is like your homework that can be changed on a whim?"
"But Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch Cup in over a decade," Ron said dejectedly, staring at the ceiling. "This year was our best chance!"
"There's nothing I can do," Harry said, hanging his head.
"Let's not worry about that now," Hermione interrupted their lamentations. "What about the memory? Did you give it to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Of course," Harry said. "Thanks to you, Hermione. Otherwise, I might not have gotten it."
"It's because you have the ability to persuade him," Hermione said. "The Felix Felicis only helped create a favorable environment. If it were me or Ron, even drinking a whole pint of it might not have gotten Professor Slughorn's memory."
"But the environment was what I lacked," Harry said. "Anyway, thank you. I'll find a way to repay you for the Felix Felicis."
"Don't be silly, you don't have to repay me," Hermione said. "But what was in that memory?"
"That's what I wanted to tell you," Harry said, glancing around. "Come with me."
He led them to a secluded corner of the common room, where they sat on a row of armchairs. Lowering his voice, he said, "Slughorn told Voldemort how to create Horcruxes."
"So it really was him?" Hermione covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "He told Voldemort that he needed to commit murder to tear his soul apart and create Horcruxes."
Harry then proceeded to recount everything he had witnessed in the memory to his friends.
To be honest, the memory wasn't very long—just a conversation between Slughorn and a young Voldemort, lasting about ten minutes.
However, after viewing the memory, Dumbledore had fallen into deep thought for over half an hour, and then he had exhibited an expression of… relief and excitement.
"So, you're saying that Professor Dumbledore seemed happy about it?" Ron asked after hearing Harry's description.
"I think so," Harry nodded. "He even muttered a few words to himself."
"What did he say?" Ron asked, intrigued.
"'This memory confirms my speculation. I guessed right, and success is imminent... Tom, oh Tom, you surely didn't expect this,'" Harry quoted, paraphrasing Dumbledore's words.
"Who's this Tom?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"It's Voldemort's name when he was young." Harry explained, "I remember telling you before, Voldemort's original name was Tom Riddle."
"If you could use a different name, maybe I'd be able to remember it." Ron mumbled, clearly uncomfortable with the name 'Voldemort'. The mere mention of those three syllables made his legs turn to jelly, so there was no way he could recall anything Harry said after that.
"You can't be like that, Ron. Be brave; it's just a name." Harry said earnestly, "You need to learn to adapt to it."
"Yeah, I'll try." Ron replied, but his tone suggested he was merely humoring Harry.
Adapt to calling Voldemort by his name? Easier said than done. Ron was certain that at least eighty percent of the magical community couldn't do it.
"So, it's imminent?" Hermione sat up in her armchair, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Harry shook his head, "After that, he asked me to leave and told me to meet him in the Great Hall at seven tomorrow morning. He said he would show me something unusual... as a reward for getting the memory."
"Hermione," Harry suddenly turned to her and said, "Why don't you go tomorrow morning instead? If it weren't for your Felix Felicis, I wouldn't have gotten the memory. This reward should be yours."
"No, Harry," Hermione shook her head, "As I said before, the main factor in persuading Professor Slughorn was you. The potion only played a minor supporting role, so the reward should rightfully be yours."
Were they bickering over this?
"But..."
Harry wanted to say more, but Hermione cut him off.
"It's settled then." She stood up and said, "Besides, every time you go to the Headmaster's office, it takes one or two hours. Who knows if it will be the same tomorrow? Our first class tomorrow morning is Transfiguration, and I don't want to be late."
"Alright then." Seeing Hermione's determination, Harry could only agree.
"If you change your mind, let me know."
"No, I won't." Hermione waved her hand decisively.
With that, the three of them returned to their respective dormitories for the night.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Harry dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the Great Hall, yawning along the way. Ever since his second year, he rarely woke up this early, and it took some getting used to.
From a distance, he spotted Dumbledore standing there, accompanied by... Kyle?
Apparently, after missing him on numerous occasions, Dumbledore had finally managed to catch Kyle on the first morning after the holidays.
The timing was impeccable, as Kyle had just finished breakfast and was about to head up to the eighth floor.
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry jogged over, "Kyle, you're here too."
"Good morning, Harry." Kyle said, turning to Dumbledore, "So, Harry is the one we've been waiting for?"
"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded, "I hope you'll forgive me for taking the liberty."
"It's fine." Kyle said, "But... never mind, do you want to have breakfast first?"
He had originally intended to mention that Harry hadn't studied Ancient Runes, so even if he came, he wouldn't understand anything. However, now that Harry was already there, it seemed pointless to bring it up, so he changed the subject.
"Breakfast?" Harry rubbed his stomach; he was feeling a bit hungry.
He didn't want to keep Kyle and Dumbledore waiting, so he grabbed a couple of sandwiches to eat on the go, at least that way, they wouldn't waste any time.
The trio made their way to the eighth floor together, and Kyle, who was leading the way, turned a few corners and stopped in front of a particular corridor.
Harry knew this place all too well. Just as he was about to remind Kyle that the Room of Requirement was broken and no one could enter, he saw Kyle take out a strangely shaped doorknob and attach it to the wall.
The next second, a door appeared on the wall.
The Room of Requirement?
Harry was stunned, gaping at the scene before him, unable to speak.
What was going on? Did the Room of Requirement now require a key to open?
He'd never heard of such a thing.
Where could he get a key like that, he wondered; he wanted one for himself.
It wasn't until the others had already entered the room that Harry snapped out of his daze and hurriedly followed them inside.
And then, Harry was shocked once again.
He felt as though he had stepped into another Hogwarts, as everything around him was so familiar.
"Is this Rowena Ravenclaw's memory?" Dumbledore looked at the students walking by with amazement, "Remarkable."
From his words, Harry also gleaned some crucial information.
Whose memory?
Rowena Ravenclaw?!
Could it be that this place was similar to the Pensieve in the Headmaster's office? Harry reached out and touched the wall beside him; it felt cold and solid.
He stepped forward tentatively and tried to pass through one of the students, who seemed to be a ghost, as he walked right through them.
"Sorry," Harry apologized instinctively.
So this was truly a memory?
He found it a little hard to believe. In his previous experiences with memories in the Pensieve, no one could see or interact with him.
However, when he saw the astonished expression on Dumbledore's face, Harry understood.
At least he wasn't the only one who was surprised.
Kyle, on the other hand, remained calm and collected, as if he had known about this all along.
"Feel free to wander around," Kyle said as he walked by. "There are classrooms upstairs, and you can also observe the professors teaching classes from a thousand years ago."
Harry nodded and left.
However, instead of going to the classrooms, he wandered around the castle curiously, much like he had done during his first year at Hogwarts.
He visited the Gryffindor common room, but instead of the familiar Fat Lady, he found a different painting—a tall knight holding a double-handed sword.
As Harry didn't know the password, the knight refused to let him enter.
With no other choice, Harry left and went elsewhere.
For some reason, he ended up in the corridor where the Room of Requirement was located.
Harry gazed at the empty wall, and on a whim, he closed his eyes and began to pace back and forth: "I need a broom closet... I need a broom closet... I need a broom closet."
He walked back and forth in front of the blank stretch of wall three times. But when he opened his eyes, he didn't see a door.
Of course... this was the Room of Requirement, how could there be another Room of Requirement here?
Harry shook his head and left.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had arrived at a place that piqued his interest.
About three hours later, or perhaps even longer, the trio returned to the entrance hall, ready to leave.
"Harry, what do you think? Were you able to understand anything?" Kyle asked.
Harry's face stiffened.
"It... it was okay, I guess," he stammered.
He hadn't actually gone to any of the classrooms... or rather, he had stayed for about ten minutes but couldn't understand anything, so he left.
Because of this, the professor had flown into a rage and scolded him.
Harry had never thought that a memory could feel so real. Instinctively, he had treated this place like the Pensieve, assuming he could do whatever he wanted without anyone noticing, even if it meant leaving a class halfway through.
So when the book that was thrown at him passed through his head, Harry's legs turned weak, and he didn't dare to visit those classrooms again. Instead, he spent the entire morning exploring the place thoroughly.
However, judging by his guilty expression, Kyle probably guessed what had happened, and he simply nodded without asking further questions.
He turned to Dumbledore.
"This is very interesting," Dumbledore said. "It has answered some questions that have puzzled me for many years, such as how long those portraits have been in the school. I've always been curious about that."
"Oh?"
"I saw Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets and Hufflepuff in the kitchen, but I didn't find Gryffindor.
"Dumbledore asked, "It seems he's not in this castle, but if I remember correctly, shouldn't Gryffindor be the most active among the four founders, and he even served as a professor for a while, teaching students directly?"
"Well..." Kyle opened his mouth.
He couldn't very well tell Dumbledore that Godric Gryffindor had been erased from Ravenclaw's memory due to some undignified behavior.
After all, Dumbledore was a Gryffindor himself. Could he accept that the founder of his house was a pervert... er, eccentric?
After hesitating for a moment, Kyle said, "Perhaps he's just not in the school at this time."
"Is that so?" Dumbledore didn't think further about it.
As the three of them walked out of the Room of Requirement, the door on the wall disappeared.
"I heard from Harry that you turned his and Malfoy's magic into some kind of animal using something you learned from here," Dumbledore asked.
Harry also looked over.
Previously, Hermione had said that Kyle had learned that kind of curse from the library, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "It was during the second-year Charms class. Professor Ragor thought it was a very effective little trick."
"This is no mere trick," Dumbledore said with a smile. "If you're facing an enemy who doesn't understand magical writing, any magic they use will become your ally, and their numbers will become irrelevant."
He turned to look at Harry, intending to suggest that he learn this as well, but he stopped himself.
Never mind, some things couldn't be forced. Harry was already doing well enough, at least to the extent that he could hold his own against most Death Eaters.
(End of Chapter)
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